Air conditioner for motor vehicles



Feb. 15, 1938. P. E. RICE A113 CONDITIONER FOR MOTOR VEHICLES Filed Dec. 19, 1936 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 N P. E. RICE AIR CONDITIONER FOR MOTOR VEHICLES Feb. 15,

2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Dec. 19, 1936 l n u 15 ready constructed although it stood that, if desired, the apparatus can be built raieneiret. 1 5, 193a 2,108,391 AIR CONDITIONER FOR. MOTOR vErneLEs Paul E. Rice, Lincoln, Nebr. Application December 19, 1936, Serial No. lliitlll 2 mm. (on. 261-29) This invention relates to an air conditioner for motor vehicles of the closed body types, an object of the invention being to provide an apparatus which can be stored readily in the body portion of the car and operates to filter, cool, dehumidify and circulate the air, the power required for setting up the air circulation being obtained from the movement of the vehicle body relative to the running gear, the same relative movement being is utilized for washing the air as it is circulated through the apparatus.

A further object is. to provide mechanism oi this character which issimple, durable and efiicient and can be installed readily in vehicles alis to be underinto the vehicles at the time of manufacture.

With the foregoing and other objects in view which will appear as the description proceeds, the

' invention consists of certain novel details of construction and combinations oi parts hereinafter more fully described and pointed out in the claims, it being understood that changes may be made in the construction and arrangement of parts without departing from the spirit of the invention as claimed.

IIn the'accompanying drawings the preferred form of the invention has been shown.

In'said drawings: V 30 Figure 1 is a view partly in elevation and partly in section of a portion of a motor vehicle equipped with the. present improvements.

.Figure 2 is an enlarged section through the apparatus taken on line 2'2, Figure 1.

35 Figure 3 is a section through the apparatus taken on 1ine'3-3, Figure 1.

Figure 4 is a section taken on line 4-4, Figure 2.-

Figure 5 is a perspective -view of the air dissem 40 inating nozzle,

The invention includes a conditioning tank I which can be so shaped and proportioned-as to be stored readily in any convenient part of the motor vehicle a'portion of the body of which has 45 been indicated at A. In the structure shown this tankhas been placed behind the back seat. The tank is suitably lined, as shown at 2, there being an insulating material 3 between'this lining and the wall of the tank. The tank is adapted to hold ice and water .to be used for chilling the air and washing it but it is to be understood that instead of employing ice, any other suitable chilling means may be used. In the drawings the ice has been indicated at I and the water at W.

55 Eur the purpose or setting up a circulation of I air through the conditioning tank, there is provided an air pump of any suitable construction adapted to be actuated by the movement of the vehicle body relative to the running gear of the vehicle. For example, and as shown in the draw- 5 ings, a pump in theiorm of a bellowst can be located under and secured to the tank, this bel lows being provided with an intake tube 5 adapt,-

" ed to draw fresh air through a filter t" while an outflow tube 17 extendsefrom the bellowsv to a port t in theupper portion of the tank I. Both-of these tubes can be provided with check valves 9 for the purpose of preventing returnflowof air.

To the bottom or movable head of the bellows is attached a piston it which works within a cyl- 'inder it between cushioning springs i2 and it.

This cylinderis mounted on a support it which, in the present instance, is an arm fixedly attached to and extending from the housing H of the differential forming a part of the running gear of the vehicle. Thus it will be seen that while the vehicle is in motion and the body A is moving upwardly and downwardly relative to the running gear, because of the resiliency-oi the springs of the vehicle, the bellows i will be expanded and contracted so that air will be drawn through filter 6 into the bellows and then expelled through tube 1 and port 8=into the tank H. An outlet tube it extends from an outlet port i 6 in the tank and this port can be covered by a separator 'l'l consistingof copper shavings or the like housed within a foraminous holder.

The tube I5 is extended to any suitable point in the body of the vehicle where the treated air is to be directed into the vehicle. At that point the tube is attached to an elongated nozzle i8 having a pluraliy of small outlets l9. Thus air delivered into tube IE will flow outwardly through these small outlets and into the vehicle.

The means thus far described operate solely to setup a circulation of air andtocool'the air while flowing through the tank I containing the refrigerant. Additional means are supplied not only for chilling the air but also'for washing it. This means includes a pump of any suitable construction likewise actuated by the movement of the'body relative to the running gear. While various kinds of pumps might be used, the one shown in the drawings includes a cylinder '20 the lower end of which communicateswith the bottom of tank I through a tube 2l which can be provided with a check valve 22 designed to prevent return flow. Extending from the upper poraround the interior of tank I adjacent to the top thereof and has outlet spraying nozzles 25 arranged at desired intervals and adapted to direct finely divided water into the upper portion 5 of tank I so that it will mix with the circulating air and not only wash it but also chill it.

A piston 26 is mounted for reciprocation in cylinders are secured to suitable supports which,

in the present instance, are in the form of rigid g arms 33 secured to and extending from a portion of the running gear, such as the housing H of the difierential. Springs 34 are arranged in each cylinder above and below the pistons and act as cushions. x

It will be apparent that during the relative movement of the body and running gear, the motion will be transmitted through the springs 34 to the pistons 3| which, in turn, will operate the connecting rods to reciprocate cross-head 19 and cause the pump piston 26 to reciprocate. Consequently chilled water will be withdrawn 30 from the bottom of the tank by this pump and I lifted forcibly so as to be expelled through tube or pipe 28 to distributing pipe 24 and thence to the spraying nozzles 25. As a result the air will be chilled and washed and as it leaves the tank I through port I6, excess moisture will be removed therefrom by the separator l1, Thus the air, when delivered into the vehicle body, will be chilled and washed and will be free from an ex cessive amount of moisture.

- To prevent the building up of excessive pressure in the tank, anoverflow pipe may be ex tended from the distributing pipe 24, this overflow pipe being provided with a release valve 36. The overflow pipe 35 can be extended to any pointdesired. For example a could be extended to a radiator within the car body from which the overflow water could be returned to the tank I. Thus an added means for cooling the interior of I the car would be provided. Such a construction is so obvious that a detailed description or illustration thereof is not deemed necessary. I

What is claimed is:

1. The combination with the running gear of a vehicle and a body yieldingly supported thereon, of a container, an air filter, an air outlet device within the body and in communication with 10 the container, said container constituting means for holding water and a refrigerant, and means operated by the relative movement of the body and running gear for drawing air through the filter and forcing it through the container to the ll outlet means within the body, and additional means operated. by the relative movement of the body and running gear for withdrawing water from the container and directing it onto the air circulating within the container, said last men- 29 tioned means including a pump having relatively movable members connected to the running gear and body respectively, a tube leading to the pump from the bottom portion of the container, spraying nozzles within the container, and ah tubular 25 connection between the pump and the spraying nozzles.

2. The combination with the running gear of a vehicle and a body yieldingly supported thereon, of a container carried by the body for holda ing a'chilling liquid, said container having an air inlet and an air outlet, an air filter having an inlet, and means operated by the relative movement of the body and running gear for drawing air through the filter and forcing it upas wardly to the air inlet of the container and thence through theoontainer to the outlet and thence into the body, the distance between said air inlet and outlet of the container being equal to the length of the\surface of the chilling liquid 40 in the container whereby the temperature of the air is reduced by the chilling liquid throughout the movement of the air from said inlet to the outlet.

s PAULE. RICE. 

